A Day in the Life
by Classifiedsophie
Summary: A series of one-shots revolving around anything and everything in the growing relationship and daily life of Nick and Judy. Each chapter represents a day in their life. I'm pretty sure they saying goes, "A one-shot a day keeps the doctor away..." (NickxJudy fluff)
1. Change

Every year around May, a certain vixen and her family would pose for a picture. They would gather around the garden and smile at nothing in particular. While professional photographers were on the pricey end, they would make due with an old family camera on a timer. She remembered vividly how her husband would run from behind the ancient device and join his wife and young son in the short ten seconds they had. Together they all smiled without a care in the world.

But that all changed.

She stared at the album in her paws. Each year that passed got darker and darker. Their smiles slowly faded across the first four photos. It was a slow decline, hardly noticeable unless you knew what was happening.

Then the change was sudden.

The next photo was different and wrenched every part of her heart. The photo only consisted of two foxes. A mother and a son. They weren't even smiling. Only looking at the camera, afraid that breaking the tradition would end with a bad omen.

The vixen picked up the last photo before the adult fox left and stared at it. The many creases and wrinkles obsured and distorted the image greatly. She compared it to the first picture they took. She chuckled.

It was amazing how fast things could change.

In the fifth photo, the young fox wasn't able to be held in his mother's arms anymore. He was just too heavy for his aging mother. He gingerly held onto his mother's leg as the picture was taken, as if he was comforting her with his toothy grin.

She flipped past the next ten photos angrily, refusing to look at them. They would cause too much pain. Pain that she wasn't ready to bring back up. But she hadn't looked at them in years.

Why not change that.

She stared at the color faded photos, marveling at how fast he grew. How fast her son grew. She wanted to forget about him, but no matter how hard she tried, he would always be in the back of her mind. As she skimmed through the pictures, her son suddenly disappeared leaving only herself.

That was the change she wasn't ready for. Well, she wasn't ready for any change because it scared her.

The one photo before her son left consisted of many rips. Tears ran right between the two of foxes, but were taped up. Ripping the photos was something she couldn't deal with. Every time she tried to do so, to remove him, she would fix it right back up.

If only it were as simple as fixing a picture.

The next 17 pictures in the album consisted of only one fox. An old vixen who seemed to age decades every year. She stood alone, no family to have her back. But she still did it. She still stood alone in front of that camera year after year.

Part of her hoped that each year, that would change.

But it never did.

It would have been the thirty third family photo she had ever taken. It would have been a single vixen standing alone in the frame. It should have been like that. But in the middle of combing her fur, a peculiar knock originated from outside. She opened the door and froze. He stood there in the doorframe, his green eyes and bright fur gleaming in the sunlight. He looked exactly like his father.

The navy he wore brought out not only his appearance, but his smile. He looked proud and hopeful, something she hadn't seen since he was a kit. Yet she still remembered him. Perhaps it was the gold nameplate with the word 'Wilde' engraved onto it. Or maybe it was the striking resemblance to his father. Green eyes and all. But she was genuinely surprised that she still remembered him.

Because he changed a lot.

The vixen's thirty third family photo was different. It contained a new light. A new feeling. A new sense of hope. She was no longer alone, but had her son yet again by his side. This time though she was crying. Not tears of sadness, but of joy. She had been reunited and this year they were smiling.

The next years would come and go of course. Nothing too special or surprising about that. But the pictures would change. Dramatically. They would go from two mammals to three. The third was her daughter. A daughter by law that wasn't even the same species.

So the older vixen smiled. "Maybe change is for the better."


	2. Only

**November 15, 2016**

Loneliness. That was a feeling that Judy Hopps had never really felt. Her whole life she had been surrounded by her multitude of siblings. There was always someone to talk to whether she liked them or not. She had parents, acquaintances and old friends. Hell, everyone knew everyone in the small but heavily populated town. But now in Zootopia, she didn't have many to talk to. The only mammal she spent time with and was close to was… Nick. But now he was at the academy and every living second of his time was spent on studying and training. Well, Judy hoped that was the situation. With that fox, she honestly had no idea what he was _actually_ up to.

Now working solo in the police department made her feel lonely.

Well, then again that's what she assumed the feeling to be. The general pang in her chest and longing for company. The feeling of a hole in her heart, that something was missing. Again, she wasn't quite familiar with the feeling to be able to recognize it full. While yes there were many many other officers in the building, she didn't really share a special connection with them. She would joke around with a few like Francine and Clawhauser, yet she never felt… satisfied. Nothing could fill that small void. Well, that was a bit of a lie. There was only one mammal who could but she hated to admit it.

And he was a fox by the name of Nicholas Wilde.

It felt so good to have a companion. Granted it was forced at first and he was, well... a complete jerk, but it felt so good when they finally bonded. But now he was gone and she lonely.

Interesting how that works, isn't it?

Judy dropped her pen on her desk in frustration. Since when was paperwork supposed to be so difficult? She only needed to write a short few sentences as a witness statement for the assault she intervened in. And since when had it become so… tedious?

She tugged on her ears and buried her face in her paws, trying to chase out the lonely feeling.

If _only_ she had a partner to share her pain with.

A cold breath of air landed on the back of her neck, causing her to spin around in her chair and nearly jump out.

"I'm so sorry Bogo, I was just about done with the assault statement…"

"Nice to see you two Carrots," Nick chuckled. "Do I really look like Bogo? I might need a facelift and a new wardrobe if that's the case. Maybe shed a few pounds too."

After getting over the initial shock, she rigorously rolled her eyes, "Gosh Nick, you almost gave me a heart attack." The rabbit spun to face him but immediately flinched when seeing his worn-out appearance.

"What happened to you?"

Judy expected to see the energetic fox, but was greeted by… a walking ghost. Bags hung under his eyes and his posture looked even more hunched over than usual. Not to mention the obvious bruises that littered his small frame and stained academy shirt. Although his smirk and attitude was definitely _not_ missing, so he couldn't be in that bad of a shape… Right?

His tired sounding response dripped with sarcasm, "I got run over by an eighteen wheeler. And the lucky truck happened to be a living, breathing elephant."

Nick pulled a chair over to her desk and grimaced as he slowly slid into it. Now it was Judy's turn to wince as she heard his joints popping.

"No seriously Nick, are you okay?" she whispered while looking at his green eyes.

He smirked and leaned forwards to rest the side of his head on her desk. "I'm fine Carrots. You don't have to be so emotional."

He frowned as if thinking of something distant, "Although the academy is definitely not meant for thirty three year olds."

"Elderly fox, you're losing your grip already, huh?" She mocked with a smile.

Nick feigned an appalled expression, "Carrots, I'm going to ask you to stop aging me. I'm not that old. In fact…" he said with a suggestive flair to his voice, "I'm not that much older than you." She swatted his shoulder in retaliation and pushed his face away as soon as he started wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he quickly apologized through the paw clamped on his muzzle. Nick grabbed both her small wrists in his large paw before the small rabbit could inflict any more damage on the already injured fox. "I was joking, and you're about to injure me even further."

Judy smirked as she suddenly twisted her restrained arms around, pushing his into an unnatural position. She laughed as he yelped in pain before letting go. He actually _yelped._

She watched him as he rubbed his arms while frowning, "Where on earth did you learn that trick, bunny torture school? Oh wait," he started while narrowing his eyes, "Or is this some form of self defense from a fox?"

She laughed, "Nope, I just heard an old wives tale from my brothers, and you just gave me the perfect opportunity to test it out."

He moved his face closer to hers, "Right, and what tale was this."

"Just that a fox will yelp when pulling his arm. And guess what?" she said while pulling out her recording pen and replaying the embarrassing noise he made. A look of horror spread across his usually emotionless face, wiping his smirk right off.

"It's true, and I have some money to get to my family."

Still frozen, Nick stared at her in confusion, "How did you record that? I was holding your paws."

She pointed down at her feet that were hidden under her desk, "It's not just foxes that can be sly."

"Don't even rabbit,"

"Its called a hustle, sweetheart," she teased in a sickly sweet voice.

"You despicable rabbit."

"Hey, I'm the one with the blackmail. I highly recommend that you stop antagonizing me."

"Right, and what's the threat?"

"Oh, I don't know," she placed her paws on her hips, "maybe sending it to your girlfriend."

Nick smirked and leaned in closer to her face, "Sorry rabbit, don't have a ladyfriend. To many women come after me that I have to shoo them away."

"Right, and I'll believe that," she put a paw under her chin, "Never. But I guess it'll just have to go to Finnick and my Furbook."

Nick laughed and slapped her desk. "You wouldn't do that."

Judy answered in a serious tone, "Oh, but I would. When has something ever stopped me."

Nick had one word as an answer before being interrupted. "Oh."

A booming voice drew both out of their bickering, "Hopps, please stop flirting and get back to work. And Wilde, _what_ are you doing here?"

The fox lazily spun around in his chair, "Two things chief: Flirting with Hopps and reporting a case of both homicide and mammal abuse."

That response earned him a punch to his shoulder from Judy. "Uh, wouldn't that be three?"

"No, the mammal abuse and homicide relates to the same thing so that becomes one. And it is also interdepartmental so that probably becomes a scandal. Might wanna take care of that _pronto_."

The chief had a worried look on his face, "Murder? Wilde you better not be messing with me. We take reports of homicide very seriously here."

Nick pulled off a genuinely hurt expression, "I would never impede with the department I will be working with so very soon, but I'm pretty sure that all the trainers at the academy have made it their goal to break and kill me."

Bogo sent him a look that could have burnt the fox to ashes but his wise attitude pulled through. "I'm the oldest, these joints aren't what they were a decade ago. Those young whippersnappers are destroying me, a tiny old fox. According to whatever law book that I've only read one page of, that," he pounded the desk, sending papers flying, "Is considered mammal abuse."

Judy gently tapped his leg, and nodded towards the chief who was now fuming.

He looked down at his wrist, pretending to stare at a watch, "And would you look at that, I think I should leave now. Hey carrots, date still on for tonight?" He winked while pointing to her.

"Hilarious, now leave before you lose your head."

As she watched Nick briskly walk out of the department, sneaking a doughnut from Clawhauser's desk, she could barely contain the excitement. In just a few long months, she would have a partner and become a bona fide officer of the law.

And in just that ten minute conversation with her friend, she no longer felt lonely.

Well, until the next week's single patrol. But even then, she kept repeating the same phrase in her head that always gave her hope.

"Just four more months."

" _Only_ four more months."


	3. Partner

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Hopps. I'm Nick Wilde, your daughter's partner on the ZPD."

Judy giggled and rolled her eyes, "That's how you'll choose to introduce yourself?"

"Hey, I thought _I_ was supposed to be nervous meeting your parents, not you being nervous for me."

She grimaced, "I just don't know how they'll react when they find out that I spend all my time with a fox. All I want is for you to make a good first impression, that's all."

Nick put his paws together like directors did in movies, "Take two, scene where fox meets best friends bunny parents."

Judy made a face, his word choice sounded odd.

He puffed out his chest in an amusingly masculine way. Judy was just trying to mess with his head when she told him earlier that this meeting was going to be crucial. The rabbit had no idea that he was going to be taking it that seriously.

Though it was good he was finally taking _something_ seriously…

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Hopps, I'm Nick Wilde, a partner of many things with your daughter. You want specifics, I'm sure you do Mr. H. I'm Judy's partner on both the police force and in the kitchen. We're cooking partners too. Trust me Mrs. H when I say that our carrot salad is killer. Not to mention that we're movie watching partners and sometimes even dinner partners. Believe it or not, we're looking into the housing market to become real estate partners."

Judy laughed, "The amount of times you said partners was borderline eye opening for the national partners association."

"Well I'm glad I'm helping them. They may need an advertising partner."

As amusing and on-the-surface nonsensical, there was one thing that kept her thinking a little longer. And she knew the question she was going to ask the fox was going to render him speechless.

"Nick," she started, instantly regaining his attention from the movie with her tone. "Why is it that the only way you describe yourself, is as my partner?"

Boom. Silence.

Not a word came from the usually loud-mouth fox.

He opened his muzzle to say something, but instantly closed it, as if looking for a different answer.

"What a thought-provoking question Carrots," he placed his paw under his chin, thinking even harder.

"Because you mean so much to me Judy. Without you, I wouldn't have done anything important with my life. Without you, I wouldn't have become who my mother wanted me to be."

The violet eyed doe cut him off immediately, "Don't give me too much credit, I just gave you a well needed and well deserved kick in the butt."

He smiled while relaxing back on the couch, "I could not agree more with that statement."

* * *

 **OMG I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long, life got in the way (as always) but that's not a valid excuse. School started and I was preparing for a bunch of cosplays and sports and yada yada yada. I'm going to be continuing this one-shot series piece by piece, as i do have a plan for it ;)**

 **Anyways, I did want to mention all the support this story has been receiving here and over on AO3. It means so much that you guys enjoy my work and that you're tearing up. That's my job... to make you cry (laughs maniacally). Or maybe you just want to strangle and punch me, I really have no idea.**

 **Anyways, have a happy new year and get ready for the start of an upcoming story in early 2017!**


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